{"id":673,"date":"2022-12-20T00:49:50","date_gmt":"2022-12-20T05:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/?p=673"},"modified":"2022-12-20T00:49:50","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T05:49:50","slug":"is-there-a-connection-between-hearing-loss-and-chronic-diseases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/is-there-a-connection-between-hearing-loss-and-chronic-diseases\/","title":{"rendered":"Is There a Connection Between Hearing Loss and Chronic Diseases?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Many factors can play a role in developing <a href=\"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/hearing-loss\/hearing-loss\/\">hearing loss<\/a> from aging to exposure to loud noise and genetics. Additionally, research has linked hearing loss to a number of common chronic diseases.<\/p>\n<h2>Diseases That Increase Hearing Loss Risk <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"doctor-patient-hearing-loss-illness\" src=\"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/iStock-1140556380-768x512.jpg\" alt=\"Doctor talking to older male patient about hearing loss.\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/iStock-1140556380-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/iStock-1140556380-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/iStock-1140556380-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/h2>\n<p>While not an exhaustive list, let\u2019s take a closer look at three chronic conditions that have been linked to hearing loss.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chronic kidney disease (CKD)<\/strong>. A study published in the <em>American Journal of Kidney Diseases <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajkd.org\/article\/S0272-6386%2810%2900963-7\/fulltext\">found that moderate CKD was associated with a higher risk of hearing loss.<\/a> Kidney problems can cause toxins to accumulate in the body that may harm your hearing. Additionally, certain medications prescribed for people with kidney disease can be ototoxic. This means that they can damage your ears and lead to hearing loss, as well as tinnitus and balance issues.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Heart disease. <\/strong>There is a large body of evidence linking heart disease and hearing loss. While the exact reasons are not completely known, it\u2019s believed that heart disease can disrupt blood flow to the inner ear. This can damage the hair cells located within the inner ear that play an important role in the hearing process. Once these cells are damaged, they cannot be repaired, and it can lead to permanent sensorineural hearing loss.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Diabetes<\/strong>. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/diabetes\/managing\/diabetes-hearing-loss.html\">hearing loss is twice as common in people with diabetes<\/a> as those who are the same age without diabetes. This is likely because uncontrolled diabetes can cause nerve damage all throughout your body, including your ears.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What To Do<\/h2>\n<p>Some chronic health conditions are out of our control. However, there are steps we can take to improve our overall health and potentially decrease our risk of developing them. These include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Getting regular physical exercise<\/li>\n<li>Eating a diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and healthy fats<\/li>\n<li>Keeping regular appointments with your primary care provider to catch any health problems early<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Keep an Eye Out for Early Hearing Loss Signs<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s also important to know the early signs of hearing loss so that you can book an appointment for a hearing test if you notice them. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Asking others to repeat themselves frequently or feeling as though voices are muffled<\/li>\n<li>Trouble understanding phone conversations<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty hearing in places with lots of background noise or multiple voices speaking at once, such as KJ\u2019s Steakhouse or other popular Fort Myers restaurants<\/li>\n<li>Experiencing a ringing or buzzing in the ears (tinnitus)<\/li>\n<li>Needing to turn the volume up louder while watching TV or listening to music<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By seeking a diagnosis and getting early treatment with <a href=\"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/hearing-aids\/choosing-a-hearing-aid\/\">hearing aids<\/a> or other assistive listening devices you can minimize the effects of your hearing loss and stay connected to others.<\/p>\n<p>For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact <span class=\"company-name \">Gulf Coast Audiology<\/span> today.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"related-posts\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/self-esteem-and-hearing-aids-what-to-know-about-feeling-confident-in-your-new-devices\/\" class=\"related-post\">Self-Esteem and Hearing Aids: What To Know About Feeling Confident in Your New Devices<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/what-to-know-about-the-connection-between-hearing-loss-and-balance-issues\/\" class=\"related-post\">What to Know About the Connection Between Hearing Loss and Balance Issues<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/how-can-hearing-aids-help-you-enjoy-the-movies\/\" class=\"related-post\">How Can Hearing Aids Help You Enjoy the Movies?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many factors can play a role in developing hearing loss from aging to exposure to loud noise and genetics. Additionally, research has linked hearing loss to a number of common chronic diseases. Diseases That Increase Hearing Loss Risk While not an exhaustive list, let\u2019s take a closer look at three chronic conditions that have been&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Many factors can play a role in developing hearing loss including aging, exposure to loud noise and certain chronic illnesses.","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","locid":"","rating":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":677,"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions\/677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfcoastaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}